Maps
Magazine

WORLD NEWS

Ethiopian Military Claims Over 300 Fano Fighters Killed in Amhara Clashes
Ethiopia's military claims to have killed over 300 Fano fighters in Amhara, escalating tensions with its former allies. Fano denies the toll, as fears of a new war rise.
ND
by News Desk
2025-03-22
Ethiopian Military Claims Over 300 Fano Fighters Killed in Amhara Clashes

Ethiopia's military has announced the killing of more than 300 fighters from the Fano armed group in renewed clashes in the northern Amhara region. The Fano fighters, once allies of the Ethiopian government against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), are now engaged in violent conflict with federal forces.

Heavy Casualties Amid Conflicting Reports

According to an army statement released on Friday, 317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 injured in battles across different zones of Amhara. However, Fano representatives disputed the claim.

Abebe Fantahun, a spokesperson for Fano in Wollo Bete-Amhara, told Reuters that the army had not killed even 30 of their fighters. Meanwhile, Yohannes Nigusu, a spokesperson for Fano in Gondar, countered the military's claim, stating that Fano had actually inflicted heavy losses on government forces. He alleged that 602 Ethiopian soldiers were killed, 430 wounded, and 98 captured, along with seized weapons.

From Allies to Enemies

The Fano militia previously fought alongside the Ethiopian military and Eritrean forces in the two-year war against the TPLF, which ended with a peace deal in November 2022. However, tensions grew after the agreement, as Amhara leaders felt sidelined in the negotiations. By July 2023, clashes erupted between Fano and federal troops.

Further complicating the conflict, the Ethiopian military accused Brigadier General Migbey Haile, an ally of the TPLF’s Debretsion Gebremichael faction, of supporting Fano’s attacks. The army branded him as an "anti-peace and anti-development promoter" with a history of inciting war in Tigray. Fano representatives dismissed the allegations as false.

Fears of a Wider Conflict

As violence intensifies in Amhara, concerns of a broader conflict are growing. Eritrea has reportedly launched a nationwide military mobilization, while Ethiopia has reinforced troops along the border.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused the Ethiopian military of committing war crimes in its fight against Fano. Reports claim that federal forces executed civilians in Merawi, northwestern Amhara, highlighting ongoing human rights abuses.

“The Ethiopian armed forces’ brutal killings of civilians in Amhara undercut government claims that it’s trying to bring law and order to the region,” said Laetitia Bader, Deputy Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.

With both sides providing conflicting death tolls and accusations of atrocities mounting, Ethiopia’s fragile peace remains at risk of further collapse.
Tagged:

ethiopia

Conflict

Fano

Amhara

Tigray
Share News: